This weekend went by too fast. It was an eventful roller coaster ride full of emotions with it's ups & downs. It had it's disappointments, but better yet it also had it's highs and that's what I'm focusing on most.
Saturday morning I picked up Andy and Jeremy from around the corner. They stayed the night in Clairemont around the corner from us. We made our way to PB to pick up Steven and Anthony. We had hoped for Chicago as well, but seeing the shape he was in Friday night I doubted he'd be making it with us.
We were able to help out the staff at Horizon with the set up again and things went along really quick. Brian was generous enough to kindly buy bagels for everyone, and as it was super hot we also had a large tub full of bottled ice waters to keep us hydrated. Once the set up was complete, Brian hired the helping hands of Jeremy for some work at his home. Jeremy was excited to earn his money for a change. Though this was the first few hours of knowing Anthony, he's a likable guy and very encouraging. He recently moved to San Diego from Virginia to break free from personal issues. I tried to listen and give the best advice I could to him. He knows the bible well.
As we dropped off Steven & Anthony, they both agreed to meet up for church on Sunday.
Amanda, Andy, and I were able to link back up with Jeremy before heading to Vista for a friendly time of fellowship & BBQ at Randy's place. (He makes an awesome steak!) It was a perfect place to relax and enjoy a swim in the pool.
After that, we dropped Amanda off and headed to Horizon Park Chapel, in downtown San Diego to support our friend & brother in Christ while he was doing some live art. The environment was live. The church had many talented people performing: break dancing, choreographed group dancing, poetry, musicians, and a pretty good dj. I believe it was a good thing for Andy to see that there are so many ways to use your talents for The Heavenly Kingdom. I realized that this scene wasn't something Andy would normally put himself in, but he seemed to enjoy it for a short time. Jeremy and I had a blast. As an artist myself, I really enjoyed witnessing a new masterpiece evolve from the hands of Joe and his friend. Being around Joe and seeing how GOD has blessed him with his talents, rekindles my passion for art, yet I'm too nervous to make any attempts to step out and display my own work.
We headed down to PB at Andy's request. He tried really hard to get Jeremy to stay down there with him, but Jeremy held his ground and knew it wasn't a good idea if he'd done that. I could sense a spiritual battle happening right before us, and it upset me to see how crafty Satan is using people to set others up for downfall. As Jeremy and I headed back up to Clairemont, I let him know I understood how hard it must've been to decline a night of possible partying especially since he now had a pocket full of money from working earlier in the day. I wasn't afraid to let him know how proud of him I was. We made arrangements for church in the morning and went on our separate ways for the night.
The following morning the first person I spotted was Anthony, as he waited patiently... then Steven popped up with his large luggage bag and umbrella... then Andy came cruising around the corner with his giant smile and long blond hair. We picked our seats and waited for Amanda and Jeremy to arrive.
I then got a call that Jeremy had been drinking when Amanda went to pick him up, so I made the wiser decision to not bring him. I know he would've been a distraction during service, as he had many times before. His choosing to drink, also voided out his opportunity of me helping him get into the San Diego Rescue Mission. (He and I had an agreement that it was time he pulled his weight and proved that he really wanted help by remaining sober for 24hrs)
Pancho Juarez was our guest Pastor for the weekend. As always, The Lord spoke to each of us in our own ways, but at the end of the sermon... it was Anthony who made that personal commitment to step forward and receive Jesus Christ as his Lord & Savior. Praise GOD!!! After service I waited in the backroom for Anthony, there I ran into Brian. He wanted to bless Anthony and offered to take him out for lunch and drive him back down to PB. Though Anthony knew scripture before, his soul was now settled with what he'd faced back home. Looking at him, he glowed of peace & joy.
Steven asked if he could join us during the week for C&V from now on, which we agreed to. Even if the ratio is 1/100 to those we minister to, it's still worth it. I encourage others to never give up hope. I encourage others to run the race as Paul put it. Jesus told us about the parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-23), so we should not be surprised that some fall to the side, but we should not be discouraged about that... it should push us to work harder to share the good news with everyone we encounter.
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